The focus here in Grade 8 is on developing a sense of community. One way to do this is by the integration of collaborative learning through all sections of the curriculum. We have used team work extensively this year in all themes. Often we use collaborative learning approaches for the acquisition and consolidation of understanding prior to the completion of an individual assessment
Benefits
- development of the social aspect of learning
- enables students to be more actively involved in their own learning
- uses small groups to build self-confidence and a sense of voice
- allows better development of ideas through providing more opportunities to articulate problems/solutions/theories
Strategies
'Jigsaw'
Step 1
Students are assigned to 4/5 member teams
This can be done by 'numbering off' from 1-4 around the room
All 1s get together, all 2s etc
The team is assigned a topic and they study this through various methods (eg. guiding questions)
Each member becomes an expert on this topic
Step 2
Re-create groups by assigning each member of each group a letter.
All 'A's get together, all 'B's etc
Each expert teaches their section to their new group
Think, Pair, Share
Students are given a topic or question
They pair up, usually with the person next to them, and discuss answers/solutions/ideas
They share their responses with a larger audience, usually the class
This allows students to directly engage with the material. It provides thinking time and also a forum to articulate ideas. It breaks up the 'whole group' formation and therefore allows opportunity for individual voice.
Table of Contents
Philosophy
The focus here in Grade 8 is on developing a sense of community. One way to do this is by the integration of collaborative learning through all sections of the curriculum. We have used team work extensively this year in all themes. Often we use collaborative learning approaches for the acquisition and consolidation of understanding prior to the completion of an individual assessment
Benefits
- development of the social aspect of learning- enables students to be more actively involved in their own learning
- uses small groups to build self-confidence and a sense of voice
- allows better development of ideas through providing more opportunities to articulate problems/solutions/theories
Strategies
'Jigsaw'
Step 1Step 2
Think, Pair, Share
- Students are given a topic or question
- They pair up, usually with the person next to them, and discuss answers/solutions/ideas
- They share their responses with a larger audience, usually the class
This allows students to directly engage with the material. It provides thinking time and also a forum to articulate ideas. It breaks up the 'whole group' formation and therefore allows opportunity for individual voice.Resources
http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/collaborative.htmlhttp://www.city.londonmet.ac.uk/deliberations/collab.learning/panitz2.html
http://www.tammypayton.net/courses/collab/tips.shtml